a. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a system and method for treating arrhythmias in the heart. In particular, the instant invention relates to a system and method that monitor movement of position sensors on heart tissue to generate indicators of various characteristics of the heart affected by the delivery of ablation energy.
b. Background Art
It is well known to use ablation catheters to create tissue necrosis in cardiac tissue to correct cardiac arrhythmias (including, but not limited to, atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, atrial tachycardia and ventricular tachycardia). Arrhythmia can create a variety of dangerous conditions including irregular heart rates, loss of synchronous atrioventricular contractions and stasis of blood flow which can lead to a variety of ailments and even death. It is believed that the primary cause of many arrhythmias is stray electrical signals within one or more heart chambers. The ablation catheter imparts ablative energy (e.g., radiofrequency energy, light energy, ultrasound, or thermal (cryo or heat based) energy) to the heart tissue to create a lesion in the heart tissue. This lesion disrupts undesirable electrical pathways and thereby limits or prevents stray electrical signals that lead to arrhythmias.
Ablation therapy provides significant benefits in resolving cardiac arrhythmias. There are, however, a number of risks associated with ablation therapy including reduced contribution by atria to ventricular filling, stagnation of blood in the atria leading to a hematoma or thrombus, cavitation of blood resulting from heating during ablation which can result in creation of an embolus or thrombus, and coagulation of blood resulting from the presence of a foreign object (i.e., the ablation catheter) which can result in creation of a thrombus. For these and other reasons, it is important to monitor the impact and effectiveness of ablation therapy on cardiac tissue so that risks are minimized and the safety of a patient insured.
The inventors herein have recognized a need for a system and method for treating arrhythmias in the heart that will minimize and/or eliminate one or more of the above-identified deficiencies.